Come Back To Me
by SOTG
Summary: Genma taught his son that women are weak and don't fight - perhaps a bit too well... After Jusenkyo, Ranma renounces the Art and returns to Japan to live with his mother as a normal teen with normal teenage problems. Like dating.
1. May

Ranma ½ © Rumiko Takahashi/Viz Media/Respective Japanese companies that I cannot remember the names of. My apologies.

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* * *

Come Back To Me

* * *

"Ranma!"

Daisuke ran as fast as he could down the dark street, undeterred by the rain. He had to hurry. He had to! Ranma was in trouble. He had to save his best friend.

The van was getting away, with Ranma in the back, drugged and bound. The Yakuza had him. And nobody knew why.

* * *

One Year Ago

* * *

_Sat. May 17_

_Woke up with a blinding hagover. And as a girl, which was weird. I normally sleep as a guy, but I must have gone to bed as a girl last night. I can't remember a thing, either. What did we do last night? I'm going to call Daisuke, see if he can remember._

Ranma closed her diary/journal and sat back in her chair. Gently, she massaged her temples, trying to ease the headache from hell into nothingness. Giving up, she headed downstairs to get an aspirin and some breakfast.

As Ranma headed down the staircase after a detour to the bathroom, the scent of his mothers cooking wafted up and made the headache slightly worse. Gripping the banister with an iron grip, Ranma carried on down, stumbling into the kitchen, heading straight for the medicine cabinet.

"Hello, Ranma." came the flat voice from the cooker. Nodoka Saotome stood with her arms crossed and that look in her eye that let you know that you were in some seriously deep shit, her tapping foot beating out a rhythm to a stern telling off that she was reciting in her head.

"Hey, Mum..." Ranma replied wearily. Taking an aspirin out of the foil tray, he placed it in his mouth before washing it down with some water.

"Do you know what time you came back last night, son?" Nodoka asked, an edge in her voice not normally there. Ranma winced. How could he remember what time he got back if he couldn't even remember what he had done?

"You came back at a quarter to three, Ranma!" Nodoka said suddenly. The sound was like a dagger through his skull. "I was worried sick, at 2:45 in the morning, and you stumble in blind drunk, as a girl, singing at the top of your voice! Not only were you defenceless, but as a GIRL, Ranma! You were a perverts dream come true!"

Ranma winced again. Had he really come back as a girl? That'd explain why he was one when he woke up this morning. Sparing a glance at the clock, he winced yet again. 11:30.

"I let you sleep in this morning, let the alcohol pass from your system." Nodoka said, turning back towards the cooker. "You're lucky there's no school today, otherwise you'd be up and out that door at normal time. Your breakfast will be ready soon. I suggest you wash up."

Ranma stumbled out of the kictchen wordlessly, heading towards the phone. Dialling in the number, he waited for the phone to be picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" came a familiar voice.

"Hey, Dai," said Ranma. "Do you remember what we did last night?"

"Sure I do, Ranma." Daisuke said tiredly. He'd clearly just woken up, like Ranma. "I got a call just before you called from Yuka. She said that her, Sayuri and Akane saw me, you and Hiroshi in the park surrounded by bottles. Then apparently we'd invited them over for something to drink. Apparently, you were a girl and were lacking a lot of clothing."

Ranma winced. "Shit," he said. "How bad was it, do you know?"

"Ranma, if I knew, I'd be telling you now and for the rest of our lives. You have a hot bod in your girl form and any memory I had should have stayed in my mind for the rest of eternity! Jeez, I can't believe I got that drunk..."

"I can't believe I got so drunk as for that to happen in the first place," Ranma said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Don't expect it to happen again, either. Pervert."

"Aww, but Ranma," Daisuke whinged. "You know I don't mean it! I mean, I'm only human. It's only natural for me to find that sorta thing interesting. I mean, don't you?"

_Here we go again,_ thought Ranma. "No, pervert!" he said back down the line. "Just because I have breasts doesn't mean I spend all day touching them! And don't even think about suggesting anything else!"

"..." said Daisuke.

"Anyway," sighed Ranma. "I'll see you later. Say five at Hideki's?"

"You got it. See you later. Bye, Ranma."

"Bye."

Ranma put the reciever down and headed back into the kitchen just in time to see his food be served onto his plate.

Later that day, Ranma headed towards Hideki's Manga store that was commonly used as a meeting place for him and his friends. He was a little early upon arrival, so he headed inside to look for the latest issue of his favourite series.

As the pigtailed boy looked at the titles on the shelves, he didn't notice the person behind him - at least, not until the water pistol in their hand squirted a jet of cold water at his neck. Ranma jumped, his hair turning red before landing as a girl.

"Uwaaaah!" Ranma screamed, turning around. "Who the hell do you think you a-- Akane?"

Akane grinned. Her hair long and tied back with a plain white ribbon giving her a picturesque schoolgirl look that went completely against her lifestyle. Akane was a martial artist, recognised as the best in the area. She was also Ranma's friend when it came to the aquatransexual needing help with... girl issues.

"Hey there, stranger," Akane said "Long time no talk. What's up, Ranma?"

"Oh, not a lot, I guess. Why do you have a water pistol?" Ranma replied.

"To get you with. It's funny." Akane held it up, looking through the clear green plastic. The water inside sloshed around in time to her movements. Ranma looked as well, and noticed something through the plastic.

"Hey, Hiroshi!" Ranma shouted. Akane turned too, grinning at the look on the boys face as he looked through the glass at the two girls. Two teenaged girls that were extremely beautiful, if the talk in the Mens locker room at school was anything to go by. Not when Ranma was there, though.

As Ranma and Akane left the Manga shop, Daisuke turned up and stood next to Hiroshi.

"Hey Ranma, Akane," he said to the girls. "Hey, Hiroshi."

Hiroshi didn't answer, opting to keep looking at the two girls. Akane laughed and put her hand on her hip. Hiroshi's mouth slipped open, a small bit of drool creeping its way out. Ranma took the water pistol from Akane and squirted the staring boy.

"Snap out of it, fool!" the redhead laughed. It was no secret that Hiroshi was an appreciator of the opposite sex. It's just he didn't really know the best way of going around it.

"What an idiot," Daisuke muttered to himself. "Anyway, Akane, what're you doing here? Are we meeting you as well?"

"Nope." Akane said, smiling. "I was just around and saw Ranma go into Hideki's, so I thought I'd play a prank, hence the water pistol. What're you three doing?"

"Well, I want to know what you two can remember from last night." Ranma said, her hands unconciously going to her hips as she gave the two boys a stare that many men would recognise as meaning trouble.

Daisuke held his hands up. "Ranma, I told you what I can remember from last night - nothing. You're safe here."

Hiroshi, on the other hand, was grinning blankly, his eyes unfocused as another sliver of drool crept between his lips. Akane slapped him. "Baka! Ranma's standing in front of you! At least try and be subtle!"

"Akane?" Ranma asked, mildly suprised.

"I saw you three last night, in the park. Ranma, you may as well have been in a top-shelf magazine. You really weren't wearing a lot." Akane said, slapping Hiroshi for a second time as the drool started up again.

"How little...?" Ranma asked, her face white.

"Boxers, nothing else." Akane replied. "Also, where did you get them? I didn't know you could get underwear with your initials all over them." Ranma blushed.

Daisuke was laughing. He tried to stop, but couldn't. "That, I **can** remember!" he said, between fits of laughter. "I want some with the letter D on!"

Ranma slapped him for his troubles. "Come on, jerks, Akane. I want some hot water." She said before walking away.

Akane grinned. "Why, don't you want any ice-cream?" Ranma stopped in her tracks, turning to Akane.

"My treat, Ran-kun."

"Yea!" Ranma shouted, grabbing the boys' wrists and dragging them along. "Icecreamicecreamicecream!"

* * *

Authors Notes

Hey Ranma Fanfiction Lovers. I'm sorry I've been absent for so long, but I needed to sort my life out a little. However, in that time, a lot of crazy, zany story ideas came to me, including this one, which came in a dream where I woke up as a girl and thought "Not again..."

Which led me to write this, the first chapter to a story that may be short, long, full of tension of all kinds or full of none and a sort of wacky collection of hijinks that invariably ends up having a serious ending. Which there will be, I garuantee that much.

There's a reference to a famous anime in this chapter, by the way. If you can tell me what anime, what the reference is and even which episode, you'll win nothing except maybe my respect for Knowing Your Shit.

Oh, wow, some Love Hina music I didn't know I had just came on. I'm rambling now. Sleep is needed.


	2. June

_Wed. June 25th_

_I had a good day at school today. Nobody splashed me with water, not even by accident, which was lucky. It's a hot day, and I'm not wearing a lot - just a T-shirt. If I was splashed, the water would cling to my breasts like in that magazine that Hiroshi showed me. What a perv._

_Akane was really weird today. She seemed all fidgety and nervous. I wonder why._

_I'm off to Hideki's to meet Daisuke. He said he had something important to tell me._

Ranma closed his diary/journal and headed downstairs to grab a drink before he left. Passing his mother on the stairs, she smiled and nodded, knowing that Ranma always went out around this time. She just hoped he wouldn't do what he did a month ago.

As Ranma decided on which drink to take, he wondered what Daisuke wanted. Choosing a fizzy drink can, he left the house and walked the 10 minutes to Hideki's.

When Ranma got there, Daisuke was waiting. He was dressed in a simple T-Shirt and jeans combo that showed his gently muscled physique without boasting it to the world. He stood with his arms crossed and a smile on his face, as Ranma walked up and greeted him.

"So," said Ranma, "What's this you want to tell me?

"Dude, before I tell you this, you have to promise not to freak or anything like that." Daisuke said.

Ranma smiled slightly. This was big. "Go on..."

Daisuke took a breath to settle his nerves before starting. "OK, so, basically, I was around the back of the P.E. department today, and I overheard Yuka and Sayuri talking. They were saying something about you and Akane, and they were giggling lots. I was gonna leave, but then I overheard Sayuri saying she was a bit jealous of Akane because of…"

"Go on," prompted Ranma, intrigued now. Why would Sayuri be jealous of Akane?

"Because of you." Daisuke finished.

A silence followed. It was one of those silences that seemed to go on forever, when they were really only a second long. Time seemed to drag out around Ranma, and for a moment, he was in China again…

* * *

"_So, what's this, pops?"_

_Ranma and his father Genma stood at the top of a cliff overlooking a valley with lots of villages scattered around. It wasn't the Joketsuzoku that they had been warned about by some locals - the Amazon village was in the Qinghai province, about 50 miles west. No, this was clearly a peaceful, non-warrior society._

"_I've been told that this is a place of mages and sorcerers," Genma said simply. "As part of our training - yes, OUR training, just because I'm a master of Anything Goes doesn't mean that I know all the arts in the world - I've asked if they would share their knowledge with us. My source said they would."_

_Ranma pondered this. Mages? He was certainly interested. Who knew what they could teach them? Perhaps he could freeze an opponent forever with a few words. He'd be unbeatable! "Let's go," he said._

* * *

"Ranma? You OK?"

The pigtailed boy blinked, suppressing a shudder. "Yeah," he said carefully. "I'm fine."

Daisuke frowned. Ranma was clearly remembering something that scared him. He wouldn't push it. Ranma can tell him in his own time. "So," Daisuke said, changing the subject. "Whaddaya think?"

Ranma paused, thinking. "It's interesting…" he said simply. Daisuke laughed.

"Ranma, think it through," Daisuke chuckled. "You have one of the most beautiful girls in the school wanting to go out with you. Even the falling star of Furinkan wants to go out with her. Say yes, for Pete's sake!"

"Didn't Kuno change it to 'Blue Thunder' this morning?" Ranma asked.

"Blue Blunder, more like."

Ranma laughed. "Sounds right. Listen, Dai, I'll think about it, 'kay?"

"OK," Daisuke sighed. "I still think you're being an idiot for not saying 'Yes' straight away."

"Well, that's you to decide. I'm sticking with my answer."

"You're an idiot sometimes…" Daisuke smiled.

"Says the idiot who still falls for my Puppy Dog eyes." Ranma said, trying not to laugh.

"No fair!" Dai retorted. "You cheated by being a girl! I can't say no!"

"Yeah, whatever, Dai" Ranma said, finally laughing.

"You owe me an ice-cream!" Daisuke said, starting to walk towards the main street.

"Do not!" Ranma replied, following.

"Do too!"

As the boys walked away, a shaky Akane stepped out of the doorway to Hideki's. "Jerks," she said simply.

_But still, Ranma's a nice jerk…_ Akane smiled at this thought, walking home.

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Notes:

Chapter two, everybody. Written on my brand new laptop. Yay!

OK, for those of you who may know my other stories, _Ranchan and Ucchan _and _Saotome Siblings_, **THESE STORIES ARE ON PAUSE!!! **Until I get at least three chapters this done in advance, I won't start writing for those again. I'm sorry if you were looking forward to the next chapters, and I know _Saotome Siblings_ is on a cliffhanger, but the draft I wrote for it one night was on a computer that mercilessly killed itself. I've lost a little bit of writing flow from that… Don't worry though - I've actually written up a chapter plan for this story, and I WILL follow this through!

Even so, until next time…

SOTG


	3. July

_Tuesday 1__st__ July_

_I've decided. I'm going to go out with Akane. Dai was right - why didn't I say I would last week? Hah, what a fool I am._

_I'm going to tell Daisuke when I see him later. He'll probably congratulate me before Hiroshi makes some perverted comment over two girls together._

_It's supposed to rain today. I'd better change before I leave._

Ranma closed the notepad, heading towards his wardrobe and taking out a plain white matching pair of bra and panties, green shirt and a pair of jeans. Heading towards the bathroom, he called out to his mother. "Yo, Mum!"

"Yes, Ranma?" she replied.

"I'm goin' out, just gonna change. Where's the umbrella?"

"It's in the hall, dear, where it always is. Next to the door."

Ranma replied "Thanks!" before splashing himself with water from the sink and drying her face off.

As Ranma walked back to her room, she thought how surreal this would look to other people - a girl asking a girl out. Even though the local community knew about Ranma and respected her 'condition,' (They knew after the local media had pretty much tripped over their own feet in getting the story out) Ranma knew that there was an under running current of prejudice. Some thought of Ranma as a pervert, cross dresser or hermaphrodite/asexual. However, they kept the comments to themselves as Nodoka was a respected member of community, and knew how to wield a blade.

Ranma quickly changed into her clothes before heading downstairs, grabbing the umbrella and leaving the Saotome household, calling out "See ya later, Mum!" as the door closed.

The ten minute walk to Hideki's Manga was a walk of solitude for Ranma. Nobody else was around, preferring to stay dry inside than venture out and socialise. Closed circuit security cameras followed her lone figure around, having nothing better to follow.

Soon, she arrived at Hideki's, deciding to venture inside and find Daisuke in his favourite section - the action and adventure portion of the store contained many of Hideki's favourite mangas. The problem was, to get there you had to walk through the hentai doujinshi section - Hiroshi's favourite section. As Ranma walked through the perverted aisle, she was unsurprised to spot Hiroshi nose deep in a particularly explicit manga. Ranma wrinkled her nose. Sometimes she wondered why she was friends with Hiroshi, him acting the way he does sometimes.

After escaping the Hentai section, she spotted Daisuke browsing the shelves. Deciding to play a little game, Ranma snuck up behind him and ran a finger down his spine, before poking him in both sides, reciting "Line, dot, electric SHOCK!" as Daisuke jumped into the air, yelping.

"Enjoy the flight, Dai?" Ranma asked, trying not to giggle.

Daisuke turned to face Ranma, face beet red and angry. "What the hell do you think you're doi-- Oh, hey Ranma…" Dai said, placing his hands behind his head in embarrassment.

Ranma ended up losing the fight of the giggles. "You're so easy, Dai!" she said in between gulps of air. "I've never seen anyone jump so high!" _Well, except for one person, but…_ she thought.

"Ah, yeah…" Daisuke stuttered. "You wanted to tell me something?"

"Yes!" Ranma said quickly. "I've thought about it and I'm going to go out with Akane."

"It took you a week to figure out you should!" Daisuke joked. "Jeez, what kinda guy are you?"

"Well, I'm a girl right now…"

"Yeah, actually, better keep quiet. Hiroshi's round the corner and I don't want to have to drag him out of here with a nosebleed. Hideki's already banned me once from coming in for a week because of that chump."

"I did not know that…" Ranma mused.

"Yeah, well, it was kinda before you turned up. I dunno whether he'd looked at a really dirty manga or Akane had punched him for some reason."

Ranma smiled at that, the scene playing out in her head. "Yeah, I can imagine that."

"Anyway, what are we waiting for? Let's go find Akane!" Daisuke said excitedly.

"Find me for what, Dai?"

Ranma and Daisuke spun around to look at Akane, Ranma's pigtail flying around so fast it whipped her on the cheek as she stopped moving.

"Uhh, well, umm…" Dai stuttered. "We-ah… Wow, Akane, fancy seeing you here!" he finished lamely.

"Great save, stud." Ranma said out the side of her mouth.

"Shut up, chick." Daisuke replied.

Akane giggled quietly to herself. These two were so funny around each other.

"Akane," Ranma said, taking the initiative. "I, uhh…"

"Yes, Ranma?" Akane asked politely.

"Umm… would you….go out with me?" Ranma whimpered, looking ridiculously cute as she did.

Akane's heart skipped a beat. "Wh-what?"

"Would you go out with me?" the red-head asked, a bit bolder this time.

Akane paused. "Uh, yeah, Ranma." She smiled. "I'd like that."

"Ohh, wow…" Hiroshi said, appearing next to Daisuke. "This is just like in _St. Youma's School For Girls_ _VI_!"

Daisuke frowned. "What on earth is that…?"

"You know, the one I showed you last week. The one with the school full of succubus's, and there are no guys, so--"

"YOU KNOW WHAT, I DON'T WANNA KNOW." Daisuke said loudly, cutting Hiroshi off. Ranma and Akane looked appalled.

"Uhmm, Akane?" Ranma asked quietly. "Do you wanna go on a…date?"

Akane smiled. "Sure thing, Ranma. Tonight?"

Ranma smiled back, nodding. "I'll come pick you up from the dojo at six?"

Akane nodded. "That sounds good to me. I'll see you later Ranma!" she added, running out of the store, presumably to get ready.

Ranma smiled. Perhaps her life really would be normal.

At approximately 5:55, a now male Ranma rang the bell outside the Tendo dojo, waiting for Akane to turn up. Not long later, she walked down the path and opened the gate, dressed in a plain yellow sundress. _Wow,_ thought Ranma. _She's beautiful…_

Akane smiled at her date for the night. He looked so handsome…

"So," Ranma said. "Shall we?" He offered his arm, and Akane took it.

"Let's go."

As the couple walked towards the restaurant Ranma had been told about by his mother, they chatted idly. The talk about what the girls in their homeroom (A familiar topic for the one and a half girls) were up to with their partners was always interesting, and sometimes Ranma offered a little insight into what their partners thought, having overheard them in the changing rooms for P.E.

As they walked down the quiet roads, the security cameras following the only activity on the street, Ranma commented on why the road was rather quiet. "It's usually rather busy on this road this time of day…" he mused.

"I know," Akane replied. "Weird, huh?"

"Yeah. We're here."

Akane looked at the restaurant, never having seen it before - odd, because she always walked this way to pick up groceries for her sister.

"Never woulda noticed it, eh?" Ranma said, grinning at Akane's reaction to their unexpected arrival. Akane just shook her head.

As they entered, a waiter looked flustered at their appearance. "Sir, madam? A table for two?"

"Yeah, please." Ranma replied. As the pigtailed boy negotiated the booking, Akane wondered how Ranma was able to afford this. It was an expensive place.

As the couple sat down to eat, Ranma answered Akane's unvoiced question.

"My mum gave me the money for tonight. It's enough for a decent meal and the cinema." he said, matter-of-factly.

"I'll buy the popcorn," Akane joked. Ranma smiled.

An excellent meal later, the couple headed off towards the cinema, settling down to watch a romantic comedy that suited both of them. Akane had indeed bought the popcorn, and had thought ahead to buy an XL tub for Ranma, who despite the restaurant earlier seemed to eat like he'd been starved.

After the film, the two walked back towards the Tendo Dojo, Ranma intending to drop Akane off safely before heading home himself.

As they approached the gates, Akane turned around. "Ranma, I just wanted to say, thanks." she said.

Ranma grinned sheepishly, reaching to the root of his pigtail and began to play with the hair. "It was nothing Akane," he said. "It was my pleasure."

Akane blushed. She knew what would be expected of her. Leaning forward slightly, she caught Ranma off guard and gave him a kiss on the lips. Blushing bright red, she grinned, said a hasty "See you in school," and ran up towards her house.

Ranma stood in the same place, seemingly frozen. Slowly, he reached up a hand and touched his lips, which still felt like Akane's soft lips were upon them. Smiling behind his fingers, he turned around and walked home, happy that it had gone so well.

* * *

Notes:

Another chapter of Come Back To Me. Any Ranma and Akane fans will like this chapter, for obvious reasons. However, it will start to get a bit controversial from the next chapter. You have been warned.

The reviewer Anon commented on the interaction between Ranma and Daisuke, saying it flowed quite well. You're actually getting an insight into my life there, as these interactions are somewhat based on the banter I have with my friends. Yay for ideas!

Until next time.

Much Love, SOTG.


	4. August

_Wednesday August 13__th_

_Akane's persuaded me to go to the school concert today. I dunno why I agreed, but Akane really likes music. I suppose I should go, it could be interesting._

_I never really understood how they make it sound so good sometimes, though._

As Ranma closed his journal (Depending on his gender, he'd call it his journal or diary) and went downstairs to grab some breakfast. Giving a cheery "Hello" to his mother, the pigtailed boy poured himself some cereal and sat down to watch some morning television.

After finishing his meal, he headed off to the school, where he was due to meet Akane. Soon, he joined the crowds of people heading the same way,eventually arriving at the gate and seeing his friends.

"Hey guys!" he called out to the group. Akane jogged over to him and gave him a little hug, which sent shivers up his spine. It always thrilled Ranma when Akane gave him a little gesture of love and understanding. It made him feel better. The others just simply waved or nodded.

"So, shall we go in?" Hiroshi said after Ranma and Akane's impromptu show of affection ended. Receiving a general chorus of agreement, he led the way into the amphitheatre.

"Wow," said Ranma as they left. "I never knew Tagaki's practice was that solid!"

"I know!" said Hiroshi. "When he did that solo, I was like, shit, wow!"

Akane, Sayuri and Yuka hung behind the boys and were talking about how attractive the drummer in Tagaki's show was. "Rippling muscles," Yuka said.

"Such a shapely body…" agreed Sayuri.

"Can't beat Ranma, though," Akane giggled. The other girls giggled as well, the mutual agreement that Ranma was quite the catch shared.

"Stop thinking about my breasts!" Akane heard Ranma shout at Hiroshi. Yuka giggled again.

Sayuri placed a curious expression on her face. "Akane, what do you do if Ranma gets splashed when you're….together?"

Akane faltered in her step. "Well, um, I…" she stammered. "He always carries a thermos of hot water with him, so it doesn't really matter." She finished, trying to brush the question off.

"What if it's raining?" Sayuri continued. "Ranma always comes to school as a girl if it's raining, wearing a bra and everything."

"We still hang out, if that's what you mean," Akane replied, blushing. "I mean, what else would we do?"

"Kiss?"

"Sayuri!" Akane exclaimed, slightly outraged. "Are you suggesting that I've gotten off with Ranma's girl side?"

"Have you?"

"No!"

"Then why are you going out with him?" Sayuri asked.

Akane paused. Why WAS she going out with him? Because he was kind and caring, duh. And he _was_ pretty handsome. _I mean, Ranma's cursed. Why would I want to kiss a form made by magic_, she thought.

"Is it because he turns into a girl? You can relate to him more than with another guy?" Sayuri asked, making Akane flinch. That rang true to her.

"That's it, isn't it?"

"I… I have to get home. Kasumi may need help with the housework." Akane said quietly, walking ahead. She ignored Ranma when he tried to say he'd call her later.

Ranma dropped behind to walk with the remaining two girls. "Hey, what's with Akane?" he asked.

"She said that she needs to help her sister with the housework." Sayuri said, covering for her friend.

"Oh, okay." said Ranma, buying the story without question. He walked ahead to bop Daisuke on the head lightly, laughing.

Sayuri turned to Yuka, sharing a frown with the other girl.

"_**Hey, Dai-Kun" called Ranma as she walked up. She was wearing a simple shirt and jeans, and from what Daisuke could see from the motion of the shirt as she walked, no bra.**_

"_**Hey, chick." Daisuke called back. He held out his hand and Ranma slapped her palm against his before backhanding the back of his hand before grasping the hand and shaking it. It was a handshake that Daisuke had showed Ranma when s/he'd first arrived in Nerima and made friends with him and Hiroshi.**_

_**They headed into Tagaki's Manga, heading towards the Action section. They walked through the Hentai section, Ranma ignoring the faces of seemingly every other boy in school, before stepping into the open section they were after.**_

_**Everything went blurry. Daisuke then found himself at Ranma's front door, still with a female Ranma. He was about to leave when Ranma invited him inside.**_

_**Daisuke sat in the living room, watching the television with mild interest whilst Ranma got a couple of drinks from the kitchen. As she came in and handed him a can, she sat next to him and they watched an anime they both enjoyed, but Daisuke didn't know what one.**_

"_**Dai?" Ranma said quietly.**_

"_**Yes?" he replied.**_

_**Ranma didn't say anything, she only leaned forward and pressed her lips against Daisuke's.**_

"Wha--" Daisuke yelped as he shot up in bed. "Wh-- What the fuck was that!? I kissed Ranma!?"

* * *

Notes:

Oh yes I did. Put that in your laptop and smoke it.

Only a short chapter, but important, nonetheless.

Much Love, SOTG.


	5. September

Daisuke walked through the school gates with his head down. Ranma was nearby, and ever since Daisuke had that dream last month, he'd been getting more and more distant from his old clique of friends. He'd gradually been becoming more and more lonely, retreating to the roof to eat his lunch and buying his Manga from Hideki's at different times, so as not to bump into Ranma.

What would he do? He needed to sort out these feelings that he'd started having since that dream. He'd started to notice himself staring at Ranma when he was a girl. It was worrying.

Was he going mad?

………………………………..................................

Ranma frowned. She had just noticed Daisuke blush and look down at his desk, staring at it enough to burn straight through it and down to the basement. She'd also noticed him getting more and more distant.

Ranma looked back down towards her textbook. What was with Dai? He was ignoring her and Akane so much, even going so far as to avoid Hiroshi, perhaps to avoid the chance that (s)he would be there.

It was beginning to piss Ranma off.

She began to formulate a plan. A plan to get Daisuke to talk t her again, and perhaps find out why he was ignoring her and her friends in the first place. Pulling out a piece of scrap paper, she began to wit down notes.

"_What bullshit"_

_Ranma looked up towards his father, silently agreeing._

"_How dare they suggest that we can't learn their magic," Genma continued to curse. "'Natural magic of childbirth,' what a load of crap! 'Oh, no, you can't learn because you're MEN!'" he parodied what they had been told by the leader of the village. "This'll do for camp, son."_

_Ranma realised that they were in a clearing, and set down his pack to begin taking out his tent. "So, what now pops?" he asked._

"_There's a training ground a few hundred miles south. We should make it there by tomorrow night. Stamina running tomorrow, boy!"_

_Ranma made a frustrated sound. Running two hundred miles in a day didn't sound fun._

_Genma dropped his own pack to the ground, giving Ranma instruction to set his up as well whilst he went to find some firewood. Ranma nodded, setting up both tents with practiced speed. When his father returned, he sat down on a log he'd carried from the side of the clearing._

"_Okay boy. Life lesson coming up." Genma said as he started piling logs for the campfire. "Never trust a woman. If you should meet a girl one day that you love, let her into your life, sure. But never trust her. She'll make you soft. She'll make you forget who you really are; a martial artist! They're good for nothing except being a good housewife, cooking, cooking cleaning and raising children. Got that boy?"_

_Ranma smiled slightly. "Yeah, pops. Cooking, cleaning and kids. All women are good for."_

Ranma shuddered in her seat. How could she have ever believed something so stupid?

"Saotome?"

Ranma's head snapped up. "Yes Sensei?"

"Were you listening when I told everyone about the Samurai era, and when I told them to take notes?"

"Y-yes Sensei."

"You're as bad a liar as you are a historian, Saotome. Tendo, can you help Saotome write up some notes during your break?"

"Yes, Sensei." Akane replied.

"So Samurai had a higher status than aristocrats?" a now male Ranma asked.

"Yes, Ranma! That's the tenth time you've asked me!" Akane snapped back. "And you still haven't told me why you dosed off in class. Why are we together if you won't trust me?"

"Because…" Ranma started, before his fathers words came back to him. Ranma started to panic. _Do I really think that? At all? Could I still be influenced by Pop's words?_

"Exactly, you don't even know!" Akane said back. "Why should we be together when you don't even know why you're with me?"

Ranma stared at his girlfriend. "What?"

--SLAP--

Ranma stared into thin air in shock, as Akane walked away.

………………………………...............

Hiroshi turned to Yuka and Sayuri. "Problem?"

"Problem." they replied together.


	6. October

_My dear wife,_

_Before I go any further, I must apologise. I have not been there for you in your times of need, and I have raised our son poorly. I am sorry, my dear._

_There is nothing I can do about my absence, but there is something I can do about our son. He has become weak, and has turned his back on my teachings. I raised him to be a man amongst men, and he's become exactly the opposite. I am sure you are aware that he's become cursed to turn into a woman._

_I hope that he is actively searching for a cure to his condition - they do exist, but are extremely hard to get a hold of. If he isn't, I have recently run into some good people who are well connected, and happy to help anyone in need._

_Nodoka, my dear, please do not lose hope in me or our son. He shall be a man amongst men, even if it kills me._

_Please give my love to Ranma. I still believe that he is much more capable than what he is currently capable of._

_Your husband, Genma._

Nodoka placed the letter on the table with a shaky hand. She could read between the lines, and knew that trouble was ahead.

Ranma was not safe.

* * *

_Thursday 18__th__ October_

_Fuck Akane. It's over._

_She's done too much. She's just getting abusive, and every time I try to talk to her, she seems to find fault with something I said. Even though I turn into a girl, I don't think I'll ever understand them. They're far too complicated, all the makeup and the shoes and the gossip. I mean, why gossip?_

_Argh, I dunno. Maybe I'm just venting. It's been like, a month since everything started going wrong, and Daisuke is still ignoring me._

_Actually, Daisuke's a good point. He's been avoiding me ever since… Well, it's been a couple of months. Yeah, so I write about Daisuke a lot in this journal, but he's a good mate of mine. He didn't shun away from me when I joined the school and my curse was revealed. Sure, everyone else did, and Daisuke and Hiroshi always were loners, it seems, but they stood by me. And that's why I'm worried._

_Dai's my mate. Something's bothering him. I want to help. I have nothing to do for a couple of hours, so I'm going round to his without letting him know. It's confrontin' time!

* * *

_

Ranma closed the journal and went downstairs. He passed his mother who was drinking some tea and reading over a letter, calling out he'd be back later, oblivious to the tears on her face.

The ten minute walk to Daisuke's was one full of thought. What should he say to Dai as he opened the door? What should his first question be? Would Dai even be in? Ranma thought it all through, failing to note the gathering rain clouds above.

As his feet guided him closer and closer to Daisuke's, Ranma found himself thinking about Akane, and how she made him feel during their time together. Uncomfortable, was the answer. He'd felt like he was constantly on edge, worried that he would say the wrong thing, and the famous Saotome trait of Foot-in-Mouth disorder would come forth to make his life a socially awkward living hell. Luckily, he'd managed to survive - up until that day in class, where he'd struggled with history.

She'd been really pissed off with him that day. Even the comforting words of Yuka and Sayuri hadn't calmed Akane down.

And to top it off, that's when Ranma had first really started noticing Daisuke's avoidance of him.

A barking dog shook Ranma out of his memories and thoughts, making him realise that he'd just walked past Daisuke's front door. Walking back, he turned up the path and rang the bell, stepping back politely to wait for an answer.

"Hello, how can I he- Ranma?" Daisuke said as he opened the door.

"Hey Dai, how are you?" Ranma replied politely.

"Ranma, uhh… Now's not a good time." Dai said, fidgeting. "My grandparents are here."

Ranma frowned. Daisuke never mentioned that his grandparents were coming round. At least, Hiroshi never mentioned it, and Dai told 'Hoshi everything. There were no secrets between the friends. At least, there weren't.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow, Ranma. At school. I promise." Daisuke finished with a weak smile before closing the door quietly.

Ranma frowned and turned around to go home. Dai's behaviour was more and more weird with every day, it seemed. _Ah, well. Maybe I'll finally get some answers tomorrow._ he thought.

Daisuke closed the door quietly on his friend before immediately running up to his room. He threw himself onto his bed, face down in the pillow. _Damnit! Why of all the people I could fall for do I have to fall for Ranma! It makes no sense, I'm straight, damnit!_

Propping his chin up, he looked blankly at the wall his bed was against. _What am I going to do? I can't tell her, she'll just think I'm weird…_

**

* * *

The next day…**_  


* * *

Friday 19__th__ October_

_Woke up early for once. I've got a couple of hours before I have to leave for school. I've got no idea what I could do to fill that time. Maybe I'll have a shower and watch some kids anime._

_When I get to school though, I'll hopefully get to finally find out why Daisuke's been acting like he has recently. It's been weird without him around. I dunno how to say it, but whenever I talk to Hiroshi, I keep expecting Dai to say something witty and make me laugh. It never happens though._

_I'd better have that shower now, otherwise I'm not going to have time for breakfast. Out of breakfast or school, I'd choose school. It's raining out as well, looks like it's going to be a girl day today.

* * *

_

Lunchtime at Furinkan, and the playground was filled with students eating, talking and playing games. The students were scattered across benches, low walls and underneath trees, hoping to catch whatever warmth the sun offered in the increasingly colder days.

One tree had Ranma (in his female form), Hiroshi and Daisuke underneath. All three were eating their bento's slowly, discussing the day. Eventually, though, Ranma turned the conversation towards Daisuke.

"So Dai, wanna finally explain why you've been so weird the last few months?" Ranma asked as she picked up another piece of food.

Daisuke, having frozen when Ranma said his name, turned to the redhead. His face was unusually pale, Ranma noted. _Nearly as pale as that weird kid that sat behind her. The one obsessed with voodoo. Argh, what's his name? Hideki Gokujuki, that's it…_

Daisuke nodded. "Ranma, I…" _DAMMIT, DON'T CHICKEN OUT NOW!_ he mentally reprimanded himself as he paused. "I apologise for my behaviour towards you over the last few months. It's been inexcusable. My shying away from you must have been tough, especially when I'm one of a few people in this school who don't mind about your curse."

_Actually, I never thought about that. _Ranma thought. _Too busy worrying about you, moron. _"Dai, really, it's oka-"

"No, it's not okay, Ranma." Daisuke interrupted her. "I'm not finished, anyway. But before I go on, promise me that you won't interrupt until I finish?"

Ranma nodded, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Ranma, a couple of months ago, I had a really weird dream. I was hanging out with you and you were a girl. We went to Tagaki's and some other places, and were heading home or something. We stopped at yours and you invited me inside to get a drink and watch an anime or something. Then…"

Ranma leant forward, her blue eyes stuck on Daisuke as he looked down at his lap, hanging onto his every word.

"Then you… sorta… kissed me."

Ranma leant too far forward and fell forward onto her face, knocking her bento to the ground. Hiroshi, who had remained quiet from the beginning, looked at Daisuke open-mouthed. "Wut." he said intelligently.

Ranma regained her composure, sitting back up and trying to recover as much food as she could. "Then what?" she asked.

"Then I woke up." Daisuke finished. "I've been too shy to be around you, especially when you're a girl, because I'm scared that it could happen, and you'd think me some sort of gay freak."

"Daisuke, why didn't you tell me?" Ranma asked the shell-shocked boy. _She's not angry?_ he thought. _Did someone kidnap Ranma and lave this impostor in her place? I should be dead right now._

"Because I was scared you'd think I was gay or something, or lusting after your girl side. Which I'm not, by the way. Gay or lusting."

"Dai, thank you for telling me. Really. I'm glad you can finally admit what was bothering you." Ranma said. "Now, can we get back to being friends who talk to each other?"

Daisuke smiled. "Sure thing, chick."

The friends laughed, before Hiroshi checked his watch. "shit guys, we got a lesson in five minutes. We need to move." Ranma nodded and stood up, retrieving her bento and helping Dai and Hiroshi up.

* * *

_What do I do? He likes me. His body language said so. He's ashamed and scared. Does he lust after me as a girl? Does he care I was born a boy? How do I respond to his admission?_

Ranma sat as a girl cross-legged on her bed, head balanced on her fist in thought. She was trying to meditate for the first time in months. It was harder to find her 'centre' now, and she was paying the price, constantly being distracted by small things. The last thing was a fly buzzing around the room before Ranma squished it, removing the distraction.

_Does he still fancy me? Did he fancy me in the first place? Hmm, perhaps he did. Let's see, embarrassed, I kissed him in a dream, scared at how I'd respond… the classic signs of a crush._

_OK, now what? Well, I've established that he still fancies me, so what's the next logical step? Do I fancy him?_

Ranma flinched slightly. She wasn't used to relationships. She was just in one with Akane as a guy - her natural gender. Was she really going to jump into being the one to wear the dress in a relationship? After about half a year of being a part-time girl?

_Well, I was worried about him, missed his company and was really happy that he told me what was bothering him. I dunno, though…_

"Ranma! Dinner time!" Nodoka called up the stairs.

The redhead straightened from her sitting position and stood up. Food came first. She could mull over this problem another time.

_At least Dai's talking to me again. she thought with a smile as she headed down the stairs._

_

* * *

_AN

* * *

Yup, still alive. Somehow.

Sorry for the massive wait between chapters. They should be more regular now, especially since the calendar has caught up with the chapter titles.

Please read and review.

Much love, SOTG.


	7. November

_Saturday 17__th__ November_

_Dai asked me out on a date! I don't know what to make of it, and he didn't say the word 'date,' but I know that's what he meant. And yeah, it's only to that restaurant that opened in town recently, but it's a date, right?_

_I don't know whether it should go further with him though. I mean, I'm a guy. But I'm also a girl. Does that mean it's okay to date him? I guess I'm pretty unique in this situation. I mean, who else in the world has this dilemma?_

_Well, I guess I'd better be off to school today. It's raining, so it's looking like a girl day today. All the better to say 'Yes' to Dai in Homeroom._

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Mornin' Ranma!" called Hiroshi from his desk as Ranma walked into the classroom. Dai sat next to him, grinning nervously. "How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks," Ranma replied, smiling as she set her book bag down on her desk and sat down. "And you?"

"Not bad, chick." Hiroshi replied. "Watched some old anime I haven't seen in a while last night. Memories, man. Those were the days."

Ranma nodded. "Memories, yeah." she murmured, fending off the thoughts that were bound to arrive. Turning towards Daisuke, she smiled again. "And you, Dai?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. Never been better!" he chuckled nervously. Ranma smirked inwardly. _He's cute when he's nervous,_ she thought to herself, before blushing at being caught off guard by her own thoughts.

"Attention, students." The class straightened in their seats and looked forwards as their sensei walked in to do the register. _Perfect timing_, thought Ranma. She settled down for the day in her seat, allowing her thoughts to wander.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"_Oh, that Nyannichuan spring, very tragic story of young girl drown there one thousand five hundred year ago!"_

_The words barely registered to Ranma. All she knew was that he'd been knocked into a spring by that…that panda! That panda which had come out of the spring his father had fallen into!_

"_Anybody who fall in that spring now take body of young girl."_

_A vague awareness filtered through into Ranma's brain. If his pops had fallen in, and a panda came out, then could that possibly mean that he had changed as well?_

_Ranma moved his hand in front of his face. It was still a human hand. That was good. Turning towards the Chinese man who was talking about the springs, he started to walk out. The man seemed…bigger, and although he was looking at Ranma, he wasn't looking at Ranma's face. More towards his chest._

"_Hey, did my pops climb out of that spring when I was underwater?" Ranma asked, before clutching at his throat. _My voice,_ he thought to himself. _My voice sounds- no, **feels** different…

"_Why is my voice different?" Ranma asked the guide. He didn't respond, continuing to look at the young martial artist blankly. "Yo!"_

_The guide snapped out of his daze. "Mr. Visitor, could you please… cover your chest?"_

"_My chest?" Ranma replied, looking down "What about my che- WHAT THE FUCK!"_

"_Oh, woe is me! To have a son cursed to turn into a girl!"_

_Ranma scowled at his father._

"_I tried, my dearest, I really did! A man amongst men was my pledge as a Martial Artist, upon my life I had made that vow, and now the Gods mock me!"_

_Ranma risked bursting a blood vessel._

"_My only son, turned into a weak, pathetic _girl_!"_

_Snap. "Shut up, Pops!" Ranma yelled. "You're the one that bought us here! You're the one that sulked after that village of mages refused to teach us! You're the one who then told me afterwards that women are only good for cooking, cleaning and looking after children!"_

_Genma made to start shouting again, but Ranma cut him off. "So what am I good for now, Pops? What, am I only good for cleaning? Am I only good for looking after a house!"_

_The tension could be cut with a knife. Genma opened and closed his mouth several times like a fish out of water. Ranma crossed his arms and glared at him, daring the older man to say something._

_In an effort to defuse the situation, the guide piped up. "Would anyone like some food?"_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_  
_

"Saotome?"

Ranma looked up at her name being called. "Yes, Sensei?"

"Ah, you look up now. I hate to interrupt a student when they are clearly doing their work - especially call them three times - but I was wondering if you could translate 'Ikura desu ka' into English for the class?

Ranma blushed at being caught unaware and began to fumble for her pencil. "It translates into 'How much is this,' Sensei." the redhead replied.

"Very good Saotome. No more daydreaming."

Ranma nodded, returning to her thoughts despite what the teacher said.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"_I'm going home."_

"_How?"_

"_I'll find a way."_

_Silence fell inside the guides hut._

_Genma looked at his son-turned-daughter and sighed. "So this is how you repay me?"_

"_Repay you for what, pops?" Ranma replied, her voice ice-cold. "Repay you for the torture you've put me through? The Neko-Ken?"_

_Genma furrowed his brow in frustration. "It wasn't torture, Ranma, it's training."_

"_Yeah, because making me deathly scared of c-c-c-them is going to make me the greatest martial artist in the world!" she scoffed. "Screw you, _Sensei_! I'm going home to Nerima and live with Mum! I'll learn how to cook, I'll learn how to clean a house, just like I'm supposed to now!"_

_Genma flinched. "What are you on about?"_

"_I'm half-girl now. That's what I'm supposed to do. I also found the letters you wrote to her. I copied her address. I'm going home."_

_As Ranma left the small cabin, silence fell again. The guide of Jusenkyou cautiously stepped towards Genma and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder._

_The Japanese man snapped. "Get off of me!" he shouted. The guide jumped back as if bitten. "I don't need your sympathy."_

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::_  
_

The rest of the day passed smoothly as Ranma gathered the confidence to talk to Daisuke about the 'date.' Nothing else major happened worthy of note, except for a small amount of foreboding in Ranma as she approached Daisuke. However, due to her now-relaxed lifestyle compared to a lifestyle on the road, she chalked it up to nerves.

Ranma, Daisuke and Hiroshi were walking to their homes respectively, when Hiroshi suddenly recalled an appointment he was due to attend. Making his excuses (which sounded rather forced), he left the oter two.

_Now's perfect, _Ranma thought to herself. A sudden lump formed in her throat, feelings of unease springing forth in an unprecedented amount. The butterflies in her stomach suddenly became dragonflies. Dragonflies on a sugar rush.

"Um, Dai?" Ranma asked quietly.

"What's up, chick?" Daisuke replied, turning to face her.

"Ummm….D'you wanna go on a date?"

Daisuke didn't respond. He just kept walking.

"Dai?" Ranma asked, nerves showing in her voice.

The taller boy looked towards the aquatransexual and grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

Ranma grinned back.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"So you'll kill him?"

"Yes."

"Will you hesitate?"

"No."

"Good. Leave."

"O-one question, sir?"

A pause. "What?"

"Will you help me afterwards?"

Another pause, longer this time. "Yes."

Genma smirked.

"But only on my terms."

"Of course. I'd expect nothing less."

* * *

**Notes:**

**Yep, I'm still alive. Despite what medical science says, there are some things that are exaggerated. Don't believe everything that they tell you.**

**Also, FF Net's formatting is balls and my space-bar is broken. :(**

**Nevertheless, sorry for it taking so long. The ending feels a bit forced, but I knew that if I didn't finish it I'd find it in half a year and still not do anything. I'm determined to finish this.**

**Hope you enjoyed. C&C welcomed.**

**Much Love, SOTG.**


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